Hawaiian Electric assisting in West Maui emergency response efforts
Working to restore remaining pocket of Upcountry customers
Release Date: 8/10/2023
KAHULUI, Aug. 10, 2023, 2 p.m. – Hawaiian Electric is currently coordinating and assisting with State and County emergency response efforts in West Maui. As part of this response effort, the company is currently focusing on:
- Ensuring safety and supporting the State and County emergency response, which includes our crews assisting with first clearing and maintaining access to impacted areas in West Maui today
- Starting critical damage assessments to begin restoration efforts once areas are safe and accessible
- Asking West Maui customers without power to prepare for extended outages that could last several weeks in some areas.
Approximately 12,400 customers in West Maui remain without power as access continues to be limited to many impacted areas due to safety and emergency response concerns. Damage assessments and restoration efforts will advance as areas become safe and accessible.
“Our main focus is maintaining the safety of our communities, customers and workforce and prioritizing power restoration to areas that our crews can safely access at this time,” said Shayna Decker, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson. “We recognize the gravity and hardship of having prolonged outages during these challenging times and we are starting damage assessments to determine restorations in West Maui areas as they become safe and accessible.”
In Upcountry, crews are also making progress and are working to restore a remaining small pocket of Upcountry customers at this time. Additional crews and resources from Oahu, Hawaii Island and Lanai have been deployed to assist with massive response efforts, and the company’s Incident Management Team continues to coordinate closely with Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency and other emergency response organizations.
As a reminder, if you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and dangerous. Stay away from downed power lines – at least 30 feet or more (at least two car lengths). Report downed lines immediately by calling Hawaiian Electric's Maui Trouble Line at 808-871-7777. Updates are also available at www.hawaiianelectric.com/windstormresponse.
